Katherine F. Douglas `02, a Let's Go publicity director, dismisses Lonely Planet sales figures as the result of their expanding titles, including phrasebooks and cookbooks, rather than increasing popularity.

"If their travel guides were actually selling 15-20 percent more than that would give us a run for our money," Douglas says. "The [Let's Go] Europe guide is the number one best selling travel guide in the market. We don't really feel the need to catch up with anyone," Douglas says.

Douglas also mentions several new ventures for Let's Go this year as proof of the series' healthy growth.

Let's Go is expanding the City Guides section that it launched last year to include Amsterdam and Barcelona.

Research-writers will also head westward this summer to compile information for the new Southwest USA guide, which will be part of the Let's Go outdoor adventure series, pairing rock-climbing and budget travel together at last.

Decisions to expand coverage are made in collaboration with St. Martin's press, which publishes the guides, the Let's Go editor and chief and managing editorial team.

To shoulder the increasing workload, the Let's Go home office on Mt. Auburn street is also expanding this year, Douglas says, with more managing editors and associate editors to churn out the more than 50 titles to be released for the 2002 series.

Students at Let's Go say they think the new titles will contribute to Let's Go sales, but they say, unlike at Lonely Planet, sales do not dictate all Let's Go decisions.